By Ashleigh Fielding | posted on May 10, 2018
DUST off your tweed jackets, straighten your bow ties and put on your best Victorian era-esque makeup before hopping on your treadly and rolling down to the annual Vancouver Street Festival this Saturday.
The arts and heritage event will kick off at 11am until 4pm and feature gourmet food, vintage bicycles and tricycles, live music, street performers, history walks and an artisan market.
The famous Tweed Ride invites retro cyclists to ride into town at their own pace and in their own time, rather than sticking to a specific route.
Cyclists will, however, have a window of time from 11am until noon to get their photo taken at the festival ahead of the competition judging.
New to this year’s celebrations will be the Noongar Song Project, an idea that stemmed from discussions between Vancouver Arts Centre and local Noongar elder Lester Coyne last year.
The song project will have three elements: a new country-rock band called The Toolbrunup Band, a dance performance from the Deadly Brother Boys, and a new community-devised song based on the ‘Kawaar’ story shared by Averil Dean, which will be sung by a mass choir and accompanied by a string ensemble.
Other live music will include the likes of The Amazing South Coast Big Band, Diggin the Jig, Katie J White, Los Car Keys, Myles Mitchell and Sneetches.
Public Programs Officer for the Museum of the Great Southern Malcolm Traill will lead a history walk between the town square and VAC to explore heritage trees in the area.
Make A Scene Artists Collective will have an exhibition set up in the main gallery of VAC featuring textiles, paintings, origami, photography, illustrations, macrame, jewellery and ceramics.
For the full program of events, visit albany.wa.gov.au/events/vancouver-street-festival.
